Quick facts:
Who: my friend Danica, fellow writer and Pulvie (it’s a quidditch thing).
When: afternoon 10/5 to early 10/7
Where: Four Courts Hostel in the medival district of Dublin. Good location (twenty minute walk from the Temple Bar neighborhood), sort of sketchy showers, and one really loud snorer.
Most used phrases:
Cheers: hello, thank you, anytime you feel obligated to say something to someone…
Peckish: hungry
Rocket: arugula
Bobo’s: I have no shame in saying that we ate at this place three times over the course of our 36 hour stay. I found it online after a quick google search (sometimes just “things to do in ‘blank city’” gets you the best hits…) and was determined to get some “authentic Irish burgers.” And oh, were they all I had hoped for. My favorite was a conglomeration of beef, cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo, and barbeque sauce. So basically the sandwich of the gods. This, coupled with an order of garlic aioli fries and a fifties-style chocolate milkshake, and you could say Danica and I were the happiest little carnivores on the planet.
Christ Church Cathedral: This was one of the first sights we saw, since it was just about a block from our hostel. We didn’t get to learn much of the history since it cost ten euro for the tour and we were trying to save money, but the sight itself was fantastic. There was actually a cute little place to eat and a square around the base, making for a great lunch spot. Plus, Henry looked great posing for it.
Bittersweet: Oh, the wonder of good timing. Just as Danica and I were getting tired on Saturday after a few hours of wandering, we stumbled upon this little place. I have a few choice words for you: hazelnut hot chocolate. Basically like they heated up chocolate syrup and added a gob of nutella. It was just the perfect amount of warm and kept our hands toasty as we walked through the next few blocks. And on top of all of this, the barista had the same hair as me. Fate.
Random markets: I have to say, we entered all of Saturday with no plans and it worked out in our favor. I had asked out hostel desk clerk about markets since we had passed a few ads for them and she basically said, “Look around and you’ll find some.” I thought she was being curt, but in fact she was completely right. Just off of a main street there was a glorified alleyway with a couple street performers, shopkeeps, and peddlers. I had to cave and buy a plush starfish off this lovely young man with a display too cute for words. Check out his website, will you?
Horse drawn carriages: Okay, I needed to write about this, if only for the courtesy of my mother. They have a LOT of horse drawn carriages in Dublin and this is fairly normal for any city. However, most places the horses move at a happy trot, occasionally a walk depending on traffic. In Dublin, they, well…haul ass. I’m actually terrified of horses so when we were walking down a narrow alleyway and a carriage came barreling around a corner I couldn’t help but scream and cower. I can’t tell if this is just for time efficiency or excitement about traveling around in a Ye Olde Medival way. Regardless, it’s not for the faint of heart – in or out of the carriage.
Other favorites:
Dublin castle, Long Stone Pub, The Auld Dubliner
End result:
Dublin’s pretty much exactly how you picture it, but depending on how you spend your time you can have an awesome experience. Definitely hoping I can eventually make it back and spend some time in the countryside – until then, I’ll just keep appreciating Guiness.
Labels: adventures with henry, dublin, ireland, travel
